This is more of an exercise in looking at the 2020 roster than it is an actual depth chart, but here you can see what kind of talent is slated to be on the roster a year from now. Michigan has obviously been recruiting better under Jim Harbaugh than they were under Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke, but I look at this roster as being very deep with talent, more so than any other roster in recent memory.
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Name: Quintel Kent
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 172 lbs.
High school: Lakewood (OH) St. Edward
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Kent was a senior in high school (LINK). He caught 59 passes for 924 yards and 12 touchdowns, along with returning 2 kickoffs for touchdowns.
TTB Rating: 59
Kent committed to Michigan in August of 2018 as the Wolverines fended off several MAC programs for his services. He had a solid senior season and did seem to make some improvements in his strength and speed from his junior year. I originally gave him a TTB Rating of 49, which I have since upgraded to the 59 above. His TTB Rating is less indicative of his talent than it is simply the talent surrounding him. Michigan has been bringing in a lot of good receivers over the past few years.
So how does a guy with a 59 TTB Rating get ranked at #65 as a true freshman? It’s pretty simple. There aren’t a ton of experienced bodies at wide receiver, and that number has even dropped by one (Oliver Martin) since I put together the countdown list. Kent could end up with a Grant Perry-like career, where he plays a good bit as a freshman but just kind of consistently hangs out as a “contributor” for four years.
Prediction: Backup wide receiver
I just finished reading Foreign Influence by Brad Thor, which you can find on Amazon if you’re interested:
Name: Jalen Perry
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 185 lbs.
High school: Dacula (GA) Dacula
Position: Cornerback
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Perry was a senior in high school (LINK). He made 28 tackles, 3 interceptions (1 TD), and 12 pass breakups; he ran 42 times for 332 yards and caught 26 passes for 297 yards, totaling 5 touchdowns.
TTB Rating: 88
Perry, a one-time Georgia commit, picked the Wolverines in November of 2018. I never had the time to do a commitment post on him, since it was near the end of football season, and then the holidays happened, etc. So this might be the first you’ve read any kind of assessment of him from me.
Anyway, I like Perry a good amount. He has size, speed, athleticism, physicality, ball skills, and all the things you want from a cornerback prospect. Considering Michigan’s track record of developing cornerbacks over the past several years, good things are likely to happen. This season it will be tough to get on the field much, because Lavert Hill and Ambry Thomas are the starters. But a year from now, Perry should be pushing for playing time, and I think the coaching staff will start to get his feet wet this fall.
Prediction: Backup cornerback
Michigan is 1-1 in the College World Series championship, with the rubber game against Vanderbilt coming up (LINK). Go Blue!
Hit the jump for a look at several players who named Michigan to their top lists.
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Name: Chuck Filiaga
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 341 lbs.
High school: Aledo (TX) Aledo
Position: Offensive guard
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #66
Last year: I ranked Filiaga #83 and said he would be a backup offensive guard (LINK). He played in nine games, four at offensive tackle and six on special teams.
TTB Rating: 86
With Committapalooza temporarily paused until more commitments become public, let’s take a look at Chuck Filiaga. When he was recruited, I alerted Michigan fans that he did not represent a quick fix on the offensive line. Technique and body issues both threatened to delay his development, and that seems to be the case. Upperclassmen have a stranglehold on the starting gigs, and Filiaga is battling to be the primary backup guard.
Filiaga has not been mentioned as being in the mix at offensive tackle, and he’s typically the third backup interior guy mentioned, behind Stephen Spanellis and Joel Honigford. Filiaga is probably going to see playing time on the field goal/extra point unit as a huge body who will be tough to move, but on offense, he’s a huge body that finds itself tough to move. This will be an important year to glance at Filiaga’s future. If he’s the first or second guy off the bench on the interior, he might end up with a starting gig in 2020 after Ben Bredeson and Michael Onwenu graduate. If other guys move ahead of him, the writing might be on the wall.
Prediction: Backup offensive guard